Hinduism Questions & Answers

Question Is there an Orthodox Hinduism? Answer Today all most all of Hinduism is Orthodox. Due to the classification of Buddhism and Jainism as separate religion they are no longer treated as part of Hinduism. Hence, as what is left in Hinduism is being primarily based on the Vedas (the revealed scriptures) all of Hinduism is orthodox. The definition of unorthodox in Hinduism is Veda neendako nâstikaha. That is, the school of thought that doesn't accept authority of the Vedas is unorthodox....

Question ## Is ’nama japa without bhava’ automatically converts into ’namajapa with bhava'? Some sadhanas in sanathan dharma automatically promote sadhaka to the next levels. If a sadhaka shows perseverance and consistency in sadhana, there are more chances for automatic upliftment. I want to know whether the same holds for Nama Japa. It is known that nama Japa does not need initiation and has almost no rules like mantra Japa or many other sadhanas....

Mystic Advaita and Non-Mystic Advaita The case Some estimated Swamis gave high importance to the Yogic practices which culminates in Samadhi; The Rishis of India that had the first revelations of the Vedas did acquire this Knowledge by Mystical Means: The concept of the teacher or the Guru is presented in Dakshinamurthy. Lord Shiva took this form in order to satisfy the thirst of knowledge of the Rishis who were created by Lord Brahma....

Q: Is Advaita a mental process? Does Advaita mean tricking the mind into believing that we are not the mind? - Advaita Vedanta Q&A Introduction A: An interesting question may arise when studying Vedanta: I am reading the words, I am trying to understand these words, I finally got the meaning. Where does all of this happen? It’s very simple, it all happens in the mind. So, is it correct to say that Advaita is merely a mental process?...

Q: “According to Advaita all is Brahman, so why should one worship Shri Krishna and do Puja? Isn’t that also Maya?” Introduction A: This question needs some clarification starting from a pure philosophical view. The concept of “worship” cannot be put on the same level of Advaita, they are on two different planes of reality. Advaita considers Brahman to be the only reality, everything else is just illusory or relative....

Q: Adi Shankaracharya taught Advaita philosophy. What was his belief on how one should see Shiva and Vishnu? Was he a Shaiva or a Vaishnava? Are Shiva and Vishnu same as per Him? A: Shankaras Advaita is called Kevala Advaita ie. Only Advaita; there is no duality at all and any duality that is perceived is just due to ignorance. Here are some features of Shankara’s philosophy: 1) Omniscience, omnipotence etc....

Q: According to Advaita Vedanta if I am always the witness consciousness, Brahman, then who ‘controls’ the mind? Mind control is an important part of most Sādhanā, and if I am the watcher of my thoughts, how do ‘I’ control the mind? Just by shining the light of consciousness on the mind? For all of us, there is the choice to think both nice and nasty thoughts, there is the choice to engage in both right and wrong actions....

Q: “How comes Advaita doesn’t regard Krishna as a personal form of God?” A follower asked this question and I thought I would share the answer I would give to everyone here because some may have this very same doubt. First of all we need to make a distinction between Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman, what are those? As you may guess the word “Nirguna” contains “Gunas” which means qualities....

Question What are the major sects of Hinduism? Answer Hinduism has many sects. It depends upon what perspective you are considering it from. It all starts from the Vedas. However, Vedas being not consistent in their philosophies, different schools of thought emerged in India either by accepting or rejecting the authority of the Vedas. Those schools of thought which accept its authority are part of Hinduism and known as sad darshana (six philosophies) and the others became separate religion like Buddhism, Jainism, etc....

Question Does rebirth or reincarnation occur in Hinduism? Answer Does it occur? Yes, it does. As per Bhagavad Gita: jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca [BG- 2.27] - Death is certain after birth and birth is certain after death. Will everyone be reborn? No, not every one will reborn. One who attains liberation (merges in the absolute or attains God) will not reborn. So the Gita says: mām upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate [BG - 8....

Question Why are menstruating women (at least in the Brahmin community) asked to be separate from the family for three days? Answer Menstruation is considered to be "muci," or impure. For many brahminical families, temple worship and puja were their primary occupations. One cannot worship the Deity or perform rituals if one is unclean. The concern was that women would contaminate the offerings prepared. Manu-smriti / Discourse V - Sources of Evil / Section IX - Other forms of Impurity...

Question Were Aryans the forefathers of Hindus? Answer Preface: this answer is hugely lacking in details, which I hope to add later. For more detailed and evidence-based views on the matter, consider consulting the following discussions: What are the latest publications demolishing the Aryan invasion/migration theory? at History.SE (note: there aren't many, aside from some confusion about the genetic evidence as it currently stands) Why is Dravidian history ignored? at History....

Question Are drugs allowed in Hinduism? Answer Is taking alcohol really allowed in Hinduism, or people forgot what were the teachings There is no "commandment" regarding use of drugs or alcohol. It is considered bad for socio-cultural reasons than religious reasons in most cases. Many Hindu schools/teachings "recommend" (not mandate) consumption of Sattivic food to maintain Sattva guna. Alcohol and drugs are known to induce Rajas & Tamas Guna and hence are to be avoided if one seeks Sattvik qualities....

Question Are there angels in Hinduism? Answer There are also Gandharvas, Kinnaras, and other subtle beings mentioned in the Vedic literatures, which can likened to the Christian idea of angels. It really depends on what your perspective of "angels". If you're thinking of subtle beings flying in the sky with heavenly voices, those are Gandharvas. If you're implying beings with higher power who influence the universe and who have God-like powers, those are the demigods....

Question How should Hindus treat people of other religions? Answer Hindu Dharma is non-exclusive. I.e it does not claim it possesses the exclusive right to grant salvation/liberation. It recognizes that every path can lead to the truth. "ekam sat viprāḥ bahudhā vadanti" -Rig Veda (Book 1, Hymn 164, Verse 46) This means "The Truth is one; the sages talk of it in many ways." Hence Hindus should treat others with "...